Meet the Middle Ages
BackBorgå
Borgå lies on the mouth of the River Borgå on the Gulf of Finland. Early on, it was a commercial centre which was granted a town charter in 1346. Medieval Borgå was a place of little significance.
After the peace at Nystad in 1721, the Episcopal seat was transferred to Borgå and the granite church became a cathedral.
All Finland was Swedish until 1809, when it became Russian. At the "lantdag" (a regional parliament) of Borgå, it was decided that the country should be a principality with its own rule, instead of a Russian province. During the 19th century, Borgå was an important cultural and educational centre. The town ´s most famous citizen is Johan Ludvig Runeberg, the author of "The Tales of Fänrik Stål", which includes the lyrics to Finland’s national anthem.
In the 1960 ´s, several of Borgå ´s old wooden houses were pulled down. But in Old Borgå, where one has preserved old buildings, one has tried to restore the genuine small-town environment. From medieval times, the granite church is the only building which has been preserved.